-The Hindu It's time we stopped neglecting urban ecosystems Countless poets and lovers have declaimed over the ages that Venice is not just a city; it’s a living dream. By that SAMe measure, irreverent others would hold that during the monsoons in India, its cities are more than just cities; they are lived nightmares. Venice’s waterways are celebrated the world over and hordes of tourists descend on the city every year. In...
More »SEARCH RESULT
Farmers exploiting groundwater ignoring long-term consequences
-The Hindu Findings of study carried out in the Arkavathy sub-basin. Despite water crisis, farmers in villages around the Arkavathy sub-basin have been growing water intensive crops, according to a study by Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE) published in the journal Irrigation and Drainage. The study, 'Adapting or Chasing Water? Crop Choice and Farmers; Responses to Water Stress in peri?urban Bangalore’, was a part of an extensive socio-hydrological...
More »Looking for a new version of MGNREGA -Ashwini Kulkarni
-Livemint.com Merely putting the labour component of other projects in MGNREGA may not lead to any value addition There are several studies and reports that clearly show that the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) has accomplished its objectives to a large extent. Initially, this government derided the programme as some kind of a dole—but it later acknowledged its role in rural development, if reluctantly. The chief ministers’ council in...
More »'Rationalising subsidies, improving infrastructure could revive agri-sector' -Kiran Pandey
-Down to Earth For every million rupees spent on agricultural research, 328 people are pulled out of poverty. In contrast, the SAMe amount spent on power subsidies brings only 23 people come out of poverty. The message is clear. With the Union elections only a few months away, the Centre should prioritise capital investments over populist subsidies to deliver on its promise of strengthening the farm sector. This is important, especially when the...
More »Rs 15/litre diesel price hike burns a big hole in farmers' pockets -Anju Agnihotri Chaba
-The Indian Express But it may give a boost for S-SMS/Happy Seeder technology adoption to prevent paddy straw burning Jalandhar: Thakur Dyal Singh has never in the past raised the rates for operation of his combine harvester in farmers’ fields by more than Rs 100 per acre. Till around 2012-13, he was charging Rs 800-1,000 for harvesting, threshing and cleaning their paddy or wheat crop from one acre using his machine. In...
More »